


Dragon Princess

by liahjh1289



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2018-11-21 16:11:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11360946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liahjh1289/pseuds/liahjh1289
Summary: A new member of team seven with a dark past could change everything, or maybe fate can't be changed after all.*The Rape/Non-Con warning is only on this story for JUST IN CASE purposes. It is hinted at one part, but I do not get explicit with it.





	1. A New Member

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a very long journey. It is an original character story, so things will be changed around some; I promise that it will get better as we go. Please let me know what you think, and thanks so much for reading!

Genma was moving that damn needle back and forth in his mouth again. Hayate could think of a few things that his friend's mouth could be better suited for. They were waiting for Kakashi to show up for their now weekly meetings with Lord Hokage. Hayate glanced at the old man. Few people knew why Kakashi was always late. Lord Hokage, of course, didn't bother with trying to get him to change. The newer Chunin were obviously getting tired of his tardiness, though.

"He's later than usual." Genma muttered to Hayate.

"Yeah, I've noticed."

"What do you think is going on?"

"I wouldn't know, but if he doesn't come in soon Lord Hokage may send someone after him."

Before Genma could say anything Kakashi walked in. "Sorry everyone." He chose not to go with one of his usual excuses and got in line with Gai and Asuma.

"Well, as you all know, the Chunin exams will be held in Konoha this year. I need volunteers to serve as proctors for the exams. For those of you who have genin teams-you have one month to decide if your teams are ready for the exams." Sarutobi took a moment to read a few of the notes in front of him. "We have been given another list of A and S ranked missions. Jounin who are not on current assignments or working with genin need to report to the council room once we are done which will be now if no one has anything else to add."

The Hokage waited for the others to speak and dismissed them when nobody did. Hayate, Genma, Kurenai, Kakashi, Gai and Asuma stayed behind.

"So, what's your excuse this time?" Asuma asked Kakashi as he lit his cigarette.

Kakashi closed his eye and sighed. "The usual, except that I also decided to stop by Naruto's house to see if he needed anything and he was completely out of food."

"Do you go grocery shopping for your other orphan?"

Kakashi glanced at Genma. "Sasuke is smart enough to know that he needs more than instant ramen to survive."

The Hokage started laughing. "Yes, that boy does seem to love ramen more than anything." He stopped laughing and smirked at Kakashi. "You have quite the handful with your team, don't you?"

"They certainly keep things interesting, sir."

"How would you like to add one more person to your team?"

They all looked at their leader with great curiosity. "What are you talking about, old man?" Asuma asked his father he finished off his smoke.

"I received word from the Onyx Village in the land of Stones. The village leader's granddaughter has inherited the kekkei genkai of her family. They are not a ninja village and they have not had any members of their family gain their abilities in three generations. They are not equipped to help her."

"The Onyx Village? Isn't that where the Kaminari clan is? Don't tell me it's them." Kurenai gasped when the Hokage nodded.

"Nikko Kaminari will be arriving in the village in a few days. I hope, Kakashi, that you will take her under your wing."

Kakashi thought for a moment. Lord Hokage was, as always, correct in his decision. Kakashi could copy any jutsu with his sharingan eye. His eye made him the ideal tutor for the girl. "Of course, sir. I'll be sure to inform Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto about their new team mate."


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team seven, meet Nikko Kaminari.

Three days had come and gone. Team seven – minus their sensei – was waiting at the Northern Gate of Konoha for their new team mate. Each genin had a reason for this 'Nikko' girl not to join. Sakura's, of course, was that she didn't want any competition for Sasuke's affections. Sasuke was a bit worried about having another girl to put up with, but he was more worried about having to slow his own training down to catch her up. Naruto said that teams couldn't just add new people whenever they wanted to because it would mess up current team dynamics. They were all shocked that he had the most logical concerns. What Naruto said, however, was only to hide the fear that having someone extra on their team would also mean someone could be replaced. His village hated him. Most of them didn't want him to be a ninja at all. This was logic, too.

"Where the heck is Kakashi sensei?" Naruto folded his arms over his chest and frowned.

"Stop complaining, Naruto. He'll be here soon." Sasuke was leaning against the tree just inside the gate with Naruto.

Sakura was pacing a little way from the boys with thoughts running through her mind about how pretty this girl would be. Before her thoughts could run away with her, she saw Kakashi and the Hokage walking towards them.

"Hello, team seven, how are you?" The Hokage smiled warmly at them.

"Why are you sticking our squad with a newbie? We don't need anyone extra, old man!" Naruto was pointing angrily at Sarutobi.

"Naruto, calm down. The Hokage has no obligation to explain himself to you." Kakashi sighed and inwardly agreed with Naruto. The boy could be very loud and obnoxious, but he was right. Any more than four to a squad was excessive and could compromise missions. It would be better if he trained her privately.

"I know this will be a difficult transition, but Nikko is your age and has no friends here. She has no family in this village; would you really want me to make her go to the academy and take classes with small children?"

Naruto frowned and looked to the ground. 'Stupid old man – why does he always have to be right?'

"You don't have to worry about her delaying your training, either. She will first be taking remedial lessons from Iruka."

Sasuke and Naruto looked to be more at ease, but Sakura still looked worried. Unfortunately, the Hokage couldn't help with her worries. They would all have to wait until Nikko arrived to see what she looked like.

The group waited five minutes and then saw a small cloud of dust. The dust cloud was being followed by three male voices.

"Lady Kaminari, please wait!"

"You must slow down, my lady!"

"Your grandfather assigned us as your guards, so please stop!"

Then came the female voice. "If you can't keep up, you'd be useless in a fight!"

"She has a point." Lord Hokage chuckled.

The dust cloud came to a stop just a few meters in front of them. They watched with a great deal of curiosity as the air cleared. The first thing they saw was a large, onyx horse. Its mane and tail were shiny and flowed flawlessly down the beast. The second thing they noticed was the girl on the back of the large animal. She had white hair, like Kakashi, that was pulled into a loose bun. Her eyes were a dark golden color. She was wearing a black hooded cloak, but her clothes were still visible. Her kimono-style shirt was dark blue with red trim and small red pedal designs down the left-hand side. It was covering a mesh shirt that was visible around her neck; both tops were sleeveless. She had a matching skirt but with the pedals on the right. It fell to about mid-thigh and she had plain, skin tight, black shorts underneath that extended to just above her knees. She had basic, black ninja sandals and dark blue, open-fingered gloves that went about four inches above her elbows. Her bangs blew around her face as she looked at the five ninja before her.

Nikko smiled when she heard the three 'guards' coming toward the gate. She dismounted and turned toward the hustling voices. "Honestly, how slow can you be?" She asked the question more to herself.

Finally, the three men who had been assigned to protect the Kaminari heir ran through the gate after their mistress. They all had brown hair and eyes. One man was obviously older than the others – by about twenty-five years from his looks. The others were in their late teens to early twenties. They all looked similar. They could be father and sons. Maybe an uncle or perhaps a cousin.

"I'm too old to be chasing you around, my lady."

"Are you alright, Father?" One of the younger men was now helping the elder stand.

"You shouldn't have run off, lady Nikko; and where did you find that horse?" The other young man stood with his hands on his hips like a disciplining teacher.

"The horse was just wandering around in the forest." Nikko turned to the Konoha ninjas behind her. "Is there any way I can keep him somewhere here in the village?"

Lord Hokage stepped forward. "We've built a small house in the southern woods. It's in a good-sized clearing. There should be room for a small stable to keep him."

Nikko smiled. "Thanks, Lord Hokage."

"Miss Kaminari, I have some people I want you to meet." Sarutobi turned to the three men. "There will be two ninja here shortly to escort you to our accounting facility to drop off Miss Nikko's money and then to your rooms. Are you still planning to stay only for tonight?"

"Yes, we will leave tomorrow morning. If we stay any longer than that, we may not leave at all."

Nikko laughed loudly. "You guys are hilarious!" Sarcasm was her specialty.

"We will go now." The Hokage turned toward the Hokage tower and the others followed.

Nikko followed quietly. She took notice of how the others were glancing at her. The pink haired girl kept glaring at her and then glancing worriedly at the guy with the darker hair. Said dark-haired boy looked like he was angry with her. The older ninja with the mask and white hair was trying to hide behind his book, but she saw his glimpses of curiosity. He was most likely thinking about her kekkei genkai. The blonde just kept his eyes on the ground and looked irritated.

They walked up a long flight of stairs, down a hallway, and into a large office. The Hokage went and sat behind what Nikko assumed was his desk.

"Nikko, you will be taking remedial lessons from Iruka-sensei from the academy. Once you are able to pass a genin graduation exam you will be assigned to team seven. This is Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki," he pointed to each of them as he stated their name, "and your leader and sensei, Kakashi Hatake."

They each nodded to her out of obligation. "It's nice to meet you all." She nodded back. "I'm very thankful you've allowed me to come to your village and learn."

"So, why did you have to come to our village? Why not learn in your own?"

"Naruto! Don't be rude!" Sakura reprimanded him but inwardly agreed.

"It's fine. If I'm going to join your team, then you have the right to know about me. My name is Nikko Kaminari. I was born in the Onyx Village in the Land of Stone. My family once had great power. They had ninja abilities that were limited to our clan. Only the men in my family inherited these abilities.

My Great-Great Grandfather was a friend and ally of the first Hokage. He was the last of our clan to gain the family power. After the Leaf Village was formed, and war was still an issue, he decided it would be safer if our family lived away from all the fighting. He moved to what became the Land of Stone. Now, while we may live there, my clan has always remained loyal to the Leaf village. As to why I am here: nobody in my family has been able to awaken our ninja abilities since the founding of this village. Nobody in my home knows how to train me. Leaving home was my only option."

The others accepted what she said. Naruto was made to apologize by Sakura. They were dismissed by the Hokage after he informed Kakashi that he would be tasked with taking Nikko to the forest where her new home was located. Nikko untied the horse and led him as she followed her new sensei. She took in as many sights as she could before they hit the southern outskirts of the village.

"Iruka will be along tomorrow, around noon, to begin your training." He had been reading the entire walk through the city.

"Hai. Kakashi sensei... I assume there's a reason I was placed on your team."

'Smart girl.' Kakashi thought as he closed his book and placed it in his tool pouch. "Do you know of the Uchiha Kekkei genkai?"

"Hmm." She nodded. "The Sharingan allows the user to see and predict any move – no matter how fast-if trained properly. It also allows one to copy, memorize, and replicate any jutsu they see."

'Very smart.' He tapped his head band that rested over his left eye. "I have the sharingan. It was surgically implanted and never de-activates. Because of this, I am in a unique position to help you master your abilities."

Nikko nodded again. "I have one more question."

"Go ahead."

"Why are the others so upset by my being added to team seven?"

He looked up to the sky for a few moments as if he were trying to figure out how to answer. "Well, Sakura simply sees you as competition for Sasuke's affections. Sasuke is driven by a deep desire to become strong and doesn't want to risk being slowed down. Naruto…is a bit complicated. I suppose you deserve the truth, though." 'As much of it as I can give, anyway.' "Naruto is a bit of a prankster. Most of the villagers don't like him. They don't treat him very well. He's worried that they'll be able to take away his rank of ninja all together if they find out there's someone who can take his place."

"I would never do that!" Kakashi turned to see Nikko had stopped and was gripping the rope on the horse's neck and staring at the ground. "I know what it means to be an outcast. I know what it's like to have people look at you and see something less than human. I would never be like them. If it ever even becomes an issue, I'll just go back to the Onyx village. Naruto and the others are my team now. I'll do everything in my power to not hurt them or slow them down."

'Well, it seems to me she'll be a great team-player.'

After she had calmed down, the duo continued to her new home. It was small and quaint. It had only one level. After she tied her companion to a nearby tree she opened the door. Inside was beautiful. Nikko walked into the sitting area, which had already been stocked with furniture, and looked at the craftsmanship. The walls were of course simple wooden walls but the top trim had carvings of flowers and dragons.

The furniture consisted of a single couch with a small wooden table in front of it. The couch was black with golden seams. She walked straight through to the next room and discovered a refrigerator – fully stocked with berries, fruits, eggs, meats, and veggies – a stove with new pots and pans on the counter beside it, and a table with a lone chair. The sink had never even been turned on.

Nikko walked through the door to the right. There was a door on the left that led to a small bathroom and straight ahead was the door to her bedroom. There was a window in the left wall next to a small bed with white sheets and a pillow. Across from her was a wall with two more windows. The left window was above a large chest with a lock on it. The right window was above a dresser. Nikko walked to the dresser and opened one of the six drawers. Her clothes had already been placed inside. She wondered briefly who it had been but allowed the idea to slip as she pushed her key into the chest and opened it. She inspected the contents for a few moments then – when she was convinced nothing had been taken – she turned to the final, lone window that faced the north. She looked out to see her sensei had left – but not before leaving some food for her only companion. The realization of being all alone in this new land had come and gone when she activated her kekkei genkai. She looked at the black horse.

'I really need to name him.'


	3. Let's Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iruka starts Nikko's training and Nikko gets out to explore a little.

Nikko finished dressing and exited the bathroom when she heard knocking on the door. Giving an exasperated sigh and a rueful look at her wet hair, she dropped the laundry and towel in her room and went to answer.

There was a tall man with brown hair and brown eyes and a scar across his nose waiting for her.

"You must be Nikko Kaminari." He had a very kind smile.

"Hai. That makes you Iruka-sensei, right?"

"That's right. Are you ready to begin your training?"

"Of course!" Nikko smiled. She had always wanted to be a ninja.

"Then let's start with this…"

* * *

Three hours later, Iruka went to report to the Third Hokage.

"Well, Iruka, how did Miss Kaminari fare?"

"She did very well. Her chakra control is better than nearly any rookie ninja I've ever seen."

"Even Sakura's?" Kakashi was sitting on a window sill.

"No, Sakura's chakra control indicated early on that she would be a good candidate for medical training, but I have to say – Nikko could match up very quickly; and her weapon training easily rivals Sasuke's."

"I thought, considering where she's from, she would need quite a bit of one-on-one training."

"As did I, Kakashi." Sarutobi took a long drag from his pipe and let the smoke flow out of this mouth. "It seems that Miss Kaminari may have done some training on her own before coming here."

"Lord Hokage, if she had trained before and been caught…"

"Yes, Kakashi, I know; but that is not our concern right now. Iruka will continue to work with her and I'd say she'll be ready to officially join team seven when you return from your mission to the Land of Waves."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

* * *

Nikko walked from one stand to another. She had quickly depleted her supply of fruits and vegetables and had to get more before she and her horse both starved.

"Maybe I should find actual horse food." She mumbled as she placed some more apples and carrots in her basket.

"Did you say you need horse food?" A tall man with round sunglasses asked. He was shopping at the stand beside her.

"Yes. Do you know of somewhere I can go?"

"There is a horse breeder just a day's walk outside the village who sells to the feudal lord. They also make their own food." Nikko must have looked a bit nervous because he smiled softly at her. "Not familiar with the area?"

"That obvious, huh?"

"That must make you Nikko Kaminari." He smiled at her confusion. "Any Jounin knows who you are. We are all quite excited to see your family's kekkei genkai."

"Oh? Well, I hope I don't disappoint then." Nikko was proud of her kekkei genkai, and she was thankful to have inherited it, but she was not happy with the amount of pressure she seemed to have on her right out of the gate.

"I am certain you won't. Would you like some directions to the breeder?"

"That would be great!"

After getting directions from Ebisu, Nikko finished buying the herbs and foods she needed for her own meals and headed home.

"Want to go get some food?" She asked the horse as she walked into the small barn that had been provided by someone at the Hokage's orders. She wasn't sure who it was that was building these things for her, but she wanted to thank them. Nikko threw a blanket on the back of the large animal and hopped up. "Let's go!"

* * *

The ride to the breeder was peaceful and it gave her the chance to really see the scenery. The Onyx Village was loyal to Konoha, always had been, but was found in the land of stone. It was a very bland place, for Nikko. She had always loved escaping with her mother to the forests on the outskirts and playing in the rivers. The feel of grass between her toes had put her at ease when she was feeling stressed, sad, or lonely. She smiled at the thought of being surrounded by trees.

"Hello there. Can I help you?"

Nikko was shocked out of her memories by the voice of the large man who had somehow moved to stand next to her horse without her noticing.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." She dismounted and faced him. "Uh…" The man looked like a giant to her. She realized, in the back of her mind, that she was only twelve, but still the man looked taller than normal. She had been walked home by Kakashi sensei and she had trained all morning with Iruka sensei, but this guy was much taller than both. "I need food for my horse." She finally stated dumbly.

The large man chuckled at her. "What kind do you need?"

"There are different kinds?"

"Of course! How old is the horse? Is he used for farm work or riding long distances?"

"Let me stop you right there, big guy." Nikko said with her sarcasm on high. "I found this horse in the woods while I was moving to Konoha. I just got him a barn put together."

"I see." He smiled. "Well, it is very good of you to take responsibility of him when you didn't have to. My name is Hiro."

"Nikko." Her eyes widened as she accepted his hand in greeting but it fully enveloped her own.

"Come on, then." Hiro ordered as he turned to lead her toward his own barn. She was amused by how large the building looked. "We can look at a few different things."

Nikko purchased a couple of months' worth of food for her horse, and a small cart to get it all home, and left the very kind man to his work. His wife had joined them shortly after Nikko's arrival and offered her some lunch for her long ride back to the village.

"Mom, you were right. Konoha is an amazing place. The people are so nice here." She smiled sadly as the moon rose a little higher. Nikko rubbed the black mane and whispered. "We should hurry, or I won't be getting much sleep tonight."

* * *

"I saw you went into town and did some shopping." Iruka said as Nikko prepared for their morning of training.

"Hai. My horse really needed some food." She stopped and smiled. "I did, too."

He chuckled. "I thought Lord Hokage had plenty of food left for you."

"He did." Nikko shrugged. "I eat a lot, though."

"You'll get along well with Naruto, then."

"I hope so."

Nikko's soft tone drew his attention. "Nikko, I was their teacher in the academy. You certainly have a difficult team to deal with, but I know that they'll come to enjoy having you around. You just need to give them some time."

She nodded, but was still unsure. Nikko didn't want to step on anyone's toes. "So, what are we working on today?"

"Today we'll focus on chakra control. That seems to be your biggest problem area. After lunch, we'll do a little bit of book review."

"Alright, ready when you are!"

* * *

"Well, Iruka, how did today go?"

"It's surprising, Lord Hokage. Nikko seems to have had some form of training already, but she has very little understanding of how chakra works-outside of her own kekkei genkai. It's almost as if she has been watching the actions of others and figuring things out for herself."

"I see. Well, Kakashi will surely have his work cut out for him, then. Do you think she will be ready to join the others when they return?"

"Hai." Iruka nodded. "She's picking up on things well enough, but I want to know how she got where she's gotten without any formal teaching."

"That will be a mystery to be solved later, Iruka. For now, let's just try to get her acquainted with Konoha and ready to join a team as a genin."


	4. The First Round of Missions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikko finally gets to join the others for a few missions, and she also gets to train with Kakashi for a while.

The mission to the land of waves passed and, for the first time since her arrival, Nikko would be joining team seven for some real missions. She was the last of the four students to arrive at the training grounds.

"Hello everyone. Where is Kakashi sensei?" She smiled but they didn't return it.

"He's always late." Naruto looked her over for a moment. "So, you're a genin now, huh?"

Nikko touched the headband she had made into a belt and nodded. "Hmm. Iruka sensei is a wonderful teacher."

"So, what's that?" Sakura pointed to the cylinder Nikko had strapped to her back.

"Kakashi sensei told me to bring my main weapons and he would help me work on them when we got done with our missions."

"What's in it?"

Before she could answer Sakura's question, Kakashi appeared. "Hello everyone."

"You're late, sensei!" Naruto and Sakura yelled and pointed accusing fingers in his direction.

"Yeah, yeah. Listen, we've got a busy day ahead of us so let's get started, shall we?"

They all nodded.

"First we need to find the Feudal Lord's wife's cat. After that we will be going to find some herbs for the medical corps. Then we will be gathering fish for an elderly couple. Finally, we will be giving the caretakers at the daycare center a two-hour break. Everybody ready?"

The three veterans nodded solemnly, but Nikko was rather excited. Four assignments in one day for which she would be paid. The day couldn't have gotten any better!

* * *

The day couldn't have gotten any worse!

First, they found the damn, evil cat. It had clearly never been given a claw trim as it tore into Naruto so badly he had to get medical treatment and new clothes.

When the time had come for herb gathering, Naruto had fallen into a pit of snakes. He wasn't bitten, but when the snakes decided to scatter Nikko had climbed the nearest tree screaming 'I hate snakes!' and latched on to the first thing that felt stable. Unfortunately for her that thing had been their sensei. That gave the others a good laugh.

Their third job was fishing. It seemed as if it would go as planned until Sakura discovered the rare, grounded, giant cat fish by stepping on its tail. When Naruto tried to save her he was half eaten. It took Sasuke and Nikko to pry the fish's mouth open enough for Sakura to pull Naruto out.

Finally, at two in the afternoon, the four exhausted genin and their snickering sensei were on their way to the Konoha Daycare where they would face-at least-twelve screaming babies. Their ages ranged from new born to four years. Once they could see the building three women ran out to greet them.

"Are you the ones who are here to relieve us?"

"Yes, we're team seven." Kakashi couldn't finish what he was saying because all three of them screamed, yelled good luck, and ran toward the village.

"This is gonna suck, isn't it?" Sakura looked sadly in the direction of the door as the sounds of babies crying reached their ears.

"Yeah, definitely going to suck!" Naruto looked as if he were about to join the small ones in their tears.

The five ninja walked into the daycare. In the front room, they saw eight babies-none older than a year; there were five kids who looked to be about two and three that were around four years of age.

"Well, we may as well get started." Nikko took charge and dove in head first.

Luckily for the four genin they were able to split the numbers evenly. Sasuke chose the twin baby boys who were sleeping, a two-year-old girl with blonde pigtails in pink ribbons, and a four-year-old boy who just kept to himself.

Sakura got a baby girl and a baby boy; she also got the two eldest out of the kids left: a four-year-old girl with a black ponytail and a three-year-old boy who had not stopped talking about how pretty she was since they had arrived.

Naruto begged Nikko to take the four babies and let him have the toddlers. He got a one year old boy who loved eating, a couple of two-year-old girls with short, black hair, and a three-year-old boy with glasses. Nikko was left three baby boys and a baby girl.

Playtime went over well with the young ones. Everyone had his or her own toy to play with. Lunch time had been a little bit of a chore-what with half of the children needing bottles and there only being four people to feed them. Sasuke got tired of the small, screaming brats and ordered Naruto to use his shadow clones. One baby was held by Nikko and the other seven were held by Naruto and his clones-all following Nikko's example-while Sasuke and Sakura were spoon feeding the ones who couldn't eat sandwiches.

When it was time for burping the babies, everybody pitched in and copied Nikko. They were all disgusted by the formula that was spat onto their shoulders. They did not help Nikko with any of the children who needed their diapers changed or the ones who needed to have help going to the 'big kids' potty.

Nikko finally had a chance to sit down. She looked at the clock.  _'Damn, there are still thirty-five minutes left. I'm exhausted.'_

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke approached her. "Hey, we get a break. According to their schedule it's nap time."

As soon as Sakura said it, the kids started yelling.

"I'm not tired!"

"I don't want a nap!"

"You can't make me!"

Nikko nearly cried as she heard the yelling cause all eight babies to start screaming and crying. She watched as her overwhelmed team mates tried to get the older kids to calm down. One of the little boys threw a toy and hit Naruto in the head and Nikko had had enough.

She got up and calmly went to each crib and turned on the mobiles to distract the small ones. She then stood-hands on each hip-at the edge of the first small bed.

"That's enough!" Her sudden and loud outburst had even pulled their sensei's attention to her. "It's time for bed!"

"No!" The same little boy who had hit Naruto with the toy threw one in her direction.

Nikko caught the toy in her right hand, examined it for a moment, and threw it into a small bin. She took the bin and collected all the toys in the room.

"Hey, give those back!"

"No."

"Why? They're not yours! That's stealing!"

"No, it's self-defense. You were throwing them at us. Now you can't." She put the small box on a high shelf.

"I won't any more, I promise!" He looked ready to cry.

"You sure won't. You can't reach them."

"Please." The little boy pleaded.

Nikko sighed. "Get in bed-all of you-and you can have one toy each. When you wake up, you can have the others."

The children rushed to their beds and Nikko allowed them one toy each.

"How are we supposed to sleep with the babies crying?" The same little boy asked as he cuddled with his toy dog.

"Don't worry; I'll take care of them, too." She walked to each baby and tucked them in properly. Nikko also dimmed the lights and started to hum. The melody was soft and sweet. Everyone was surprised when she started singing.

"Lullaby-and goodnight,

In the sky stars are bright.

May the moon's, silvery beams,

Bring you sweet dreams.

Close your eyes-now and rest,

May these hours be blessed.

'til the sky's bright with dawn,

When you wake with a yawn.

Lullaby and good night,

You are mother's delight.

I'll protect you from harm,

And you'll wake in my arms."

The others stared at Nikko as she pushed off of the wall she had been leaning on and went to the shelf with the box of toys on it and placed it in the floor. Kakashi led them silently out the front door where the owners of the daycare were waiting.

"So," one of the women started, "the little hellions run you out?"

"No." Kakashi replied calmly. "They're all sleeping and it's time for us to get going."

"Sleeping? How'd you kids manage that?"

"Trade secrets." Nikko told her and started walking away with the others following her.

"Hey, Nikko, why didn't you tell those ladies about your song, or how you took the toys, or any of it?"

"Because, Sakura, it was the song my mother sang to me when I was little-before she died and the rest they should be able to figure out."

"Oh… I'm sorry. I didn't know."

She turned to Sakura. "It's fine. It was a long time ago." She smiled and Sakura returned it.

"Well, Nikko, you're quite the mother hen, huh?"

She glared at their sensei. "You could have helped."

"Yes, but how would my stepping in help you guys learn valuable life lessons?"

Nikko burst into a fit of laughter. "You're an ass!" she continued to laugh as she fell back into the grass.

"Seriously, though, how did you get so good with kids?" Sakura asked as she looked down at her team mate.

"I just wanna know how she called Kakashi sensei an ass and didn't get yelled at."

"Yeah, Naruto, I'd like to know that, too." Both boys stared incredulously at their sensei who had stopped paying attention and was reading his book again.

"Well, in my village women have only a few roles they can play: wife, mother, nurse, teacher; that kind of stuff."

"What?" The other three genin were dumbfounded.

"They're really strict with girls. We can't cut our hair, can't wear certain things. I was training to become a wife and mother when my kekkei genkai was awakened. I had also trained as a nurse."

"Wait! You're way too young to be a wife or mother!" Sakura looked mortified at the thought of becoming a mom so early in life.

"Actually, Sakura, back home girls were married off to their chosen husband when they were fifteen and usually parents by sixteen." She stopped for a moment of thought. "Come to think of it, I'm really happy my kekkei genkai kicked in because the guy I was supposed to marry was a huge jerk!" She laughed loudly until she heard her stomach growl. "Oh great, now I gotta go home and cook."

"Why don't you just go buy something?" Naruto asked as he got over his shock.

"Naruto," Nikko grunted as she stood up, "I've been in the village for a month. In that time, I have shopped for groceries once and trained. I don't know where anything is."

"So, you wanna go eat with us? I mean, we should get something as a team, right?"

Sasuke nodded and Sakura smiled.

Nikko smiled lightly at them. "Okay, sure."

"Well, in that case, you go and eat and I'll meet with the Hokage. Nikko, meet me back at the training grounds in one hour."

"Hai, sensei."

* * *

Naruto led the way to the Ichiraku Ramen shop. None of the others had ever been there, but the boy swore by it. The four of them walked in and sat on the stools at the bar.

"Hello, Naruto. I see you have some company today." The pretty girl smiled at him and the others.

"Yeah, Ayame. These are my teammates." Naruto pointed to his left. "This is Nikko." He then turned to his right. "This is Sasuke; and this is Sakura."

"Hello, everyone. What can I get you?"

Nikko started with asking for pork ramen. Naruto ordered miso ramen. Sasuke chose to get two rice balls, and Sakura got beef ramen.

Ayame smiled. "Coming right up!"

The young genin met Ayame's father. He seemed excited to see Naruto with the others. They got their food and everyone was happy with it. Nikko laughed as she watched Naruto down two more bowls. After eating, Nikko had to rush off to the training grounds while the others went home to rest. Nikko arrived just moments before Kakashi.

"Are you sure you want to train after the day you've had?"

"Hai, sensei. I want to catch up to the others."

"Nikko, you've only been a genin for a few days. Perhaps you should be more patient."

"You know about the laws in my village, don't you?" Kakashi only nodded. "Then I only need to tell you that  _both_  of my parents dreamed of being shinobi and helping others. I need to get strong and learn how to properly use my bloodline trait."

"Very well." Kakashi couldn't stop the waves of sadness and admiration he felt as he watched the young girl take the large cylinder off her back and pull out the five swords of her great-great grandfather.

He had been a close friend of the first and second Hokage when Konoha had been founded. Nikko's people called him the 'The Great Ancestor'. He had been a protector and warrior for his people. The man had considered himself a tool at the disposal of the first Hokage as long as it also protected his clan. It was true that the Kaminari clan had left the village for safer lands during war times, but what Nikko had failed to tell the others was that the head Kaminari stayed behind to fight. After his death, extreme measures had been taken by the rest of the Kaminari people against all forms of violence, but in Konoha he was named a hero; stories about him were told in the Anbu. Some even called him the first true member of the Anbu and protector of the Hokage.

Now, Kakashi stood in front of his great-great granddaughter. She had his white hair and deep, golden eyes-as they were described in the stories. She had a look of pride standing in the Konoha training area: hair in a bun with chopsticks, two blades secured around her hips, three blades-two of which crossed forming an 'x' shape and one going straight down her spine-on her back and the ties around her shoulders and fastened between her breasts; and the proof that she was now a Konoha kunoichi sitting at her lower abdomen between her hip bones.

Kakashi pulled a kunai from his weapons pouch. "We'll begin with close-quarter combat." He gave no other warning before attacking.

Nikko drew the sword at her spine and swung down heavily causing Kakashi to have to block. They went back and forth with one another for more than five minutes-one gaining ground and then the other. Nikko then pulled the blade at her left hip with her left hand. The one from her back was shaped like a true sword: double edged. The one from her hip was shaped like a katana with only one sharpened edge. She kept the blunt edge of the blade against her arm and used it to defend as she used the right arm to attack.

_'Impressive,'_ Kakashi thought as he dodged her attack and pulled out three shuriken,  _'she seems well versed in sword play; but how will she handle this I wonder.'_

He threw the shuriken at Nikko and disappeared. She was able to block the weapons that were thrown at her, but she hadn't had time to turn around. As she had started to spin to her left, Kakashi had reappeared directly behind her and stopped her defensive arm with his left and placed a kunai to her throat with his right.

"Damn it."

"That was good, but you need to expand your focus. You must always know where your enemy is." He removed the kunai from its position at her neck and stepped back.

Nikko replaced both swords and then pulled out the two that crossed her back.

"Ready for round two?"

"Yes, sensei. Let's begin."

For two hours Kakashi and Nikko battled back and forth. Kakashi had won each bout, but every time he gave her criticism, she absorbed it and changed her fighting style accordingly.

_'With each fight, Nikko improved. She really is a prodigy.'_ Kakashi sat next to a tree and glanced over to Nikko. She was sitting in the same position he was in against a tree just a few feet away. "Nikko, may I ask you something?"

She turned to her sensei. "Of course." Nikko was exhausted and it showed.

"You only used certain swords for attacking and certain swords for defending; is there a reason for that?"

"Hai! I'm surprised you noticed-most people don't." Nikko smiled and walked over to where he was, despite her shaking legs, and sat on her knees in front of him. She removed her blades and placed them to her left. Nikko then unsheathed them on by one as she explained. "These two," she lay out the ones that had been at her waist, "are primarily for defense. All of my blades are chakra weapons. I can't use them that way yet, though."

Nikko smiled and continued her explanation. "These two-the ones that cross my back-are primarily for attack. The last one is used for either and equally effective. Each blade is placed in the perfect position during battle to be used for defense or attack-whichever it is meant for."

Kakashi looked at all five swords. The two that were defensive were cut like traditional katanas-with only one sharp side. The way they tied around her made it easy to grab each one and defend against any attack because they would be pulled out of the sheath with the blade down and the blunt side against the arms. He also took notice of how the left one had the mark of water on the end of the hilt-or on the pommel. The right one had the mark of earth. The water blade's grip had black and blue fabric woven thickly around it and no guard. The earth blade looked the same but with black and green fabrics.

Kakashi looked at the other blades. The pommels of the three weapons were marked with fire, water, and lightning. The fire and air blades were the same style swords as the earth and water blades. The fire was on the left with black and red fabric on the hilt and the air blade was on the right with black and white fabric.

The middle blade was crafted differently than the others. He had noticed it when they were sparring. While the others were traditional katanas, this one was a true double-edged sword. There was a guard on this one, but it was small and shaped like a square. The grip on this one still had the fabric wrapped around it; the colors were black and purple.

_'I knew the stories about his five great blades.'_ Kakashi thought as he and Nikko parted ways.  _'Lord Aito Kaminari was said to have been a master swordsman. He was majestic and graceful with his five elemental blades. I believe I'll go to the records hall and read up on him. I can certainly tell that Nikko has his blood.'_

"Hey, Kakashi sensei, I have a question for you now." Nikko called back.

"Alright." He turned slightly to show he was listening.

"On a scale of one to ten, one being not at all and ten being, well, laughable, how much did you hold back?"

Kakashi thought for a moment before answering. "Nine."


	5. Part of the Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikko starts building bonds with the team and Kakashi does some reading.

For the few who read this, welcome back. I do, as always, apologize that I have slowed down with the new semester starting and all. I hope this chapter makes up for it.

* * *

Nikko walked into her home small home. It was late, and the missions and training of the day had taken a lot out of her. In her room, she removed the container which held her blades and placed it in the chest at the foot of her bed. She removed her gloves, skirt, and kimono top and placed them in the hamper next to her dresser. She pulled out the short night gown that barely covered her bottom and a pair of underwear and removed the mesh armor and the rest of her clothes.  _'I smell like a man.'_  Nikko grimaced at her own body odor as she got into a hot shower.

* * *

Kakashi sat in the records hall with scrolls laying out all around him. One in particular caught his eye. It was a re-telling of an early battle that the first Hokage had been in with a rival ninja clan. It was the first battle that the Kaminari clan supported him in. The scroll was written by the first Hokage himself.

* * *

_'Today we entered another battle. The Senju clan had many losses, but not as many as it should have. We were pinned down by the Bushi clan. Their leader was prepared to take the final swing-it would have killed dozens…myself included, but then he appeared.'_

The wind suddenly picked up as if a great storm was approaching. Then a clap of thunder a single bolt of lightning and the Bushi clan head fell. In his placed stood a tall man with golden eyes and long, white hair. He held two swords in his hands. "We need to talk, Hashirama Senju."

Hashirama and Tobirama led the white-haired man into their tent. He was about their age and height, but neither knew who he was.

"Why did you help us?" Tobirama was weary of the other's power. He was a strong fighter himself, but this man was an unknown.

"You're welcome." The stranger sat down near the table the brothers used for planning.

"Forgive my brother, but it is curious. Why would a stranger help others in times like these?"

"Because I don't want my children, my children's children, to grow up in war. I know you're trying to create peace with the Uchiha clan. If I follow you, will you protect my family as your own?"

Hashirama looked confused. "I am not looking for followers."

"You may not be looking for followers, but people need a leader. It is the only way to unite them."

"You want my brother to lead your people? Why not you?"

The other man burst into a fit of laughter. "I may be insane, but I'm not stupid!" he calmed down and smiled at the skeptical pair. "I am a warrior. I was born to fight-protect-sacrifice-but not to lead. I will be the weapon of the great Senju clan if you truly believe in the idea of peace and unity."

The Senju siblings shared a momentary glance. The eldest looked to the many seated on the ground. "What is your name?"

_'Aito Kaminari is what he calls himself. Rumors of the Kaminari power are old, but I have never met one until now. I know that Tobirama has pause about him-and I will keep that in mind-but he seems to be honest. Aito is strong and passionate. I trust him and I think that he could become a great friend when this senseless fighting is finally over.'_

* * *

Kakashi put away the scrolls.  _'Yes, I see a great deal of Lord Kaminari in Nikko; she will be a great ninja one day.'_

* * *

After a few days Kakashi had integrated Nikko's training with the others'. Naruto was reluctant to attack full force, but Sasuke showed no hesitation. He threw kunai and shuriken–which were blocked by her lightning sword. Naruto joined in with a dozen shadow clones then. Nikko had barely been able to defeat them when she saw Sasuke creating hand signs. Kakashi didn't have time to stop her. She knew the jutsu he was using and replicated it. The fireball jutsu was a powerful one. Sasuke's was clearly better than Nikko's, but hers was still enough to stop the other from causing any real harm.

Nikko fell to her knees. Sasuke walked over to where she was and she didn't miss the glare he was giving her; she simply chose to ignore it.

"Sasuke, that was amazing! I knew you would know that jutsu, but I had no idea you had mastered it!" she was panting as she spoke.  _'I used too much chakra. I need to work on my control.'_

"How do you know that jutsu?" Sasuke's voice betrayed him. He was pissed that a girl who had only been training for a month was able to use that jutsu. He saw her expression change to one of worry as she glanced to Kakashi.

He sighed and removed himself from his perch in a nearby tree. "Everyone, come over here." He stood next to Nikko as the others gathered in front of them. "You all know about the kekkei genkai I have." The others nodded. "Nikko has one as well. Her kekkei genkai allows her to use any jutsu. You see, most people are only able to use jutsu that correspond with their chakra type."

"Chakra type, sensei?"

"Yes, Sakura. You see, Sasuke's chakra type for instance is fire. This means that Sasuke will primarily use fire style jutsu. Understand?"

"I get it, sensei; so, what type are you?" Naruto asked Kakashi.

"My chakra type is dominantly lightning, but I also have fire style charka."

"Wait a minute, Kakashi sensei. If that's true, then how did you use a water style jutsu when you fought Zabuza?"

Sasuke answered Sakura's question. "The sharingan allows him to copy and mimic any jutsu that isn't a kekkei genkai."

"For that reason, Nikko was assigned to study under me. She can manipulate her chakra to use any jutsu. As for how she knows the fireball jutsu-well, I gave her some jutsu scrolls to study."  _'Though I never thought that she would be able to use any of the jutsu already. I only gave her the scrolls two days ago. She must be working day and night.'_

Nikko stood shakily. "I could really use some help from you three." The other genin looked at her with skepticism.

"Sakura, I'm good with chakra control, but I know you could teach me so much more! Naruto, I have the amount of chakra, but I don't have the stamina to really use it; and Sasuke, I know you have other jutsu you could teach me, and your level of discipline could help me master the few that I already know."

"Why are you working so hard, Nikko? I mean, you've only been in the village for a month. Slow down some."

"I can't, Sakura. Not only do I have my family name to live up to, but you guys are my team now. I must be strong enough to be of use to you. I don't want to let you down."

* * *

Sakura spent all day after their training working on chakra control with Nikko. She was a little jealous at how the other girl seemed to pick up on it so easily, but she was also proud to say that she helped her teammate get stronger.

Naruto spent the next day with Nikko. He taught her the multi-shadow clone jutsu. By the end of the day Nikko could maintain twenty clones for five minutes. After training she treated Naruto to some Ichiraku ramen.

The third day was Sasuke's day. They worked on the fire ball jutsu all day. Nikko still was not a master, bit she had gotten much closer.

"Thanks, Sasuke." Nikko smiled and leaned against a tree.

"Whatever." Sasuke sate across from her and looked into the woods. "Nikko?"

"Yeah?"

"What did you mean when you said you had to live up to your family name?"

She smiled and sat down.

"I thought your family made women become wives and didn't let them cut their hair…stuff like that."

"That's how it is now, but it wasn't always like that. You see, we all know the stories of the "Great Ancestor." His name was Aito Kaminari. The second Hokage created the Anbu, but Aito was called the first true Anbu. It is said that he saved the lives of the first and second Hokage many times and that they were all close friends.

I told you all that my great, great grandfather moved us to the Onyx village to avoid the wars, but I didn't tell you that he came back alone. He chose to leave his people in peace and return to war because, in the stories, he was made to fight.

My great, great grandfather-the great ancestor-was the last wielder of my five blades. He used them to protect the leaf village and the prospect of peace. Before him, only the men in the Kaminari clan had the kekkei genkai, but his son didn't inherit it. Neither did his son-nor his son after him-yet I did. The first female born into the direct bloodline and I receive his power. I want to make him proud."

Sasuke nodded and allowed a small smile to grace his lips. "If you expect to be that great, you better stop slacking."

Nikko burst into a fit of laughter.  _'Finally,'_  she thought,  _'I think I'm making some progress with this one!"_

* * *

Two weeks passed with all of team seven training as one and Nikko was beginning to feel right at home. She had a routine down: run training with Sasuke in the mornings, work with Naruto in the afternoons. When they had missions scheduled, Nikko's day started with a small bit of training with Sakura, the missions lasted until about two in the afternoon, and then she would work with Kakashi; if Kakashi was busy, she could always work with her jutsu scrolls.

Nikko finally had bonds with everybody on her team. She didn't love how Sasuke treated the others like they were useless, and Sakura's constant glares were extremely annoying, and Naruto chasing Sakura all the time was sad; but they were all friends.

She rolled her eyes when Naruto challenged Sasuke. How did the boy have so much energy? First he was beaten to a pulp for weeding out herbs in a lady's garden-then he nearly got swept away by a waterfall-and then he was dragged through a mine field by an enormous dog.

Kakashi had already excused himself when Nikko pulled herself back to reality.  _'Obviously, I missed something.'_  Nikko looked on in confusion as Sasuke also left and Sakura looked like she had just watched Sasuke kiss a guy.  _'Now that is a scary thought!'_  Nikko mused _. 'Sasuke showing emotion…'_ "I'm out, guys. Sakura, don't hurt Naruto too badly, okay?"

Nikko walked a couple of streets away and met up with Sasuke.

"You felt it, too?" He glanced at her.

"Yeah. What do you think it is?"

"Don't know, but it's strong."

"Sasuke, I think it's kill intent."

"What?"

"I've heard that some people's desire to kill can be so strong you can feel it." Nikko hugged her arms around her torso. "I have never felt anything this cold before."

"Come on, I think it's time to track it-see what it is."

"Right."

* * *

A guy with purple paint on his face was holding the boy with the long scarf by the neck.

"Konohamaru!" Naruto yelled.

"So, does this hurt, punk?" The guy with the paint squeezed Konohamaru's scarf and the boy yelled.

"Put him down, Kankuro," the blonde girl glanced around, "or you know you'll pay for it later."

Sakura tried to put the blame for Konohamaru running into Kankuro on herself, but he was not buying it. Naruto yelled some threats, but he was ignored.

"We've got a few minutes to kill before  _he_  gets here; let's mess with these punks, huh?"

"Let go of me, you jerk!" Konohamaru started kicking at Kankuro, but it didn't help.

"You're feisty," he then added in a sing-song voice, "but not for long."

Naruto had seen enough and attacked, but he seemed to get tripped up.

_'What the hell?'_ She thought as she stayed hidden-analyzing the situation as it unfolded.

"You're a leaf genin, too? Looks like your village is full of wimps." Kankuro watched the others' antics and frowned. "You're annoying-all of you. I don't like runts, or any other scrawny weaklings, so when a wimp like this starts shooting his mouth off-I just wanna break him in half."

"Ah, fine." The blonde finally said. "I'm not involved in any of this, okay?"

"First, I'll take care of this little squirt-then I'll waste the other one!" Kankuro drew back to hit Konohamaru; but, before he could, a pebble hit his wrist and he dropped the boy.

"You're a long way from home, and you're way out of your league." The others looked for the voice and there sat Sasuke on a nearby branch.

"Oh great, another wimp to tick me off."

"Get lost."

The others were amazed at how 'cool' Sasuke was, but Kankuro was pissed. Nikko chose to stay hidden and watch the events unfold.

"Hey punk, get down here. You're the kind of pesky little snot I hate the most-all attitude and nothing to back it up." Nikko watched as he pulled something from his back that was completely wrapped in bandages.

"What? Are you gonna use the crow for this?"

_'Blondie's worried. I can't just sit here anymore.'_

Before Kankuro could make a move, Nikko appeared behind him with her fire blade at his throat. When the girl started to move, Nikko pulled her water blade with her free right hand and put it against her neck.

"Nikko." She turned and smirked at Sasuke.

"I couldn't let you have all the fun."

"Just how many of you are there?" Kankuro glanced at Nikko.

"As many as there needs to be." She tightened her grip on the two katana. "Now, explain what two sand shinobi are doing starting fights in the streets of the leaf village."

"I don't answer to you, sweetheart."

"Kankuro, back off."

Sasuke and Nikko both turned their attention to the other side of the tree Sasuke was still sitting in.

"You're an embarrassment to our village."

"I'm sorry, Gaara."

_'These two are afraid of him. Who is he?'_

"Have you forgotten the reason we came all the way here?"

Kankuro was stuttering about how it was the fault of the other genin, but Gaara silenced him and proceeded to threaten his life.

_'These guys are supposed to be allies. What the hell is this kid's problem? And why do I feel so cold?'_ Nikko frowned and felt her body tense.

"You," Gaara looked at her and Nikko felt the blood freeze in her veins, "you can put those away. They won't cause you any trouble."

She hesitated, but still sheathed her blades and joined Sakura and Naruto. Gaara apologized for Kankuro's behavior to Sasuke and joined his own comrades. Sakura, feeling brave with her entire team united, stopped the Sand Village ninja from leaving and the blonde showed them her chunin exam pass.

"Hey, identify yourself." Sasuke stopped the genin from leaving again.

"Who, me?" The blonde smiled at Sasuke. Nikko didn't know if she wanted to gag or smirk at his reaction.

"No, him. The one with the gourd on his back."

"My name is Gaara, of the Dessert. I'm curious about you, too."

"I am Sasuke Uchiha."

"Hi, I bet you're dying to know my name!" Naruto butted in.

"I couldn't care less."

Nikko pat Naruto on the head as he looked like he had been punched in the gut and that ramen was made illegal in Konoha.

"I am curious about you, though."

Nikko looked up from her brother to see that Gaara was looking directly at her. She glanced around stupidly for a moment before asking "Why me?"

"You were fast enough to catch these two off guard. That is not a simple task."

"Nikko Kaminari." She stated simply and watched as the three sand genin left.


End file.
